Armed robber flees Manchester store after clerk presses panic button

MANCHESTER - A gunman tried to rob a Massabesic Street market Monday night but abandoned the attempt when the clerk reached under the counter to activate a panic button, police said.The incident happened about 10:25 p.m. at AMT Market, 384 Massabesic St.Police said a man entered the store brandishing what appeared to be a black handgun. He approached the clerk and a customer at the counter, pointed the gun at the clerk and demanded money.When Tariq Mahmod, the 41-year-old store clerk, reached under the counter to press the panic button, the robber immediately fled the store. He was last seen getting into the passenger side of a tan sedan, possibly a Nissan, which was last seen heading north on Cypress Street.The robber is described as a black man, about 6 feet tall with a slim build, wearing a black mask and dark-colored jacket. No description was available of the driver.Anyone with information about the attempted robbery is asked to call police at 668-8711. Anonymous tips for cash rewards may be made through Manchester Crimeline at 624-4040 or online at manchestercrimeline.org.